Wife or Daughter?
by Bela Vosa
Summary: Yami and Bakura rule over a small kingdom deep in the sahara. Their daughter, Yama, stands on the brink of a new world order. Can she show her fathers that the outside world isn't as dangerous as it seems? At least without getting killed first. YYxYB AU


Disclaimer: This story idea is mine, but some of the characters are not XP. I love yugioh just as it is, but AU is so exciting, ne~

Rated for dirty language. It's Bakura people! Rating may go up for violence in later chapters, but it will mostly be language that gets me in trouble. Stay away if you don't like innuendo and cussing, I guess?

**INFORMATION**:

Yami BakuraXYami Yuugi/Atemu story

Yama is queen of Oasis, not princess, because she has two fathers... it's a title. Yami's title is Pharaoh, and Bakura's is king. Yuugi is crown prince. Everyone else falls under the title of Royal Daughter, since they aren't related by blood.

This was not m-preg, but I don't want to go into the complications of two men having magical children right now. It's important to bring it up in the story.

* * *

Chapter One: Daughter and Queen

There was once a small kingdom nestled in the heart of the Sahara. This kingdom's rulers made a promise to the gods. No matter who, no matter when, they would welcome the lost, the hungry, the lawless, the despised, and bring them home. In exchange for this promise, the gods gave them the most beautiful and temperate Oasis in all of Africa, a secret wish, and hid them from the maps of the world. Oasis thrived, for thousands of years, until a king was born who could have no children. He adopted many sons and daughters, in accordance to the promise his ancestors had made, and loved all of them. But his heart yearned for his own child, and the gods, also in accordance, found a way to grant his secret wish.

And she was beautiful. The whole kingdom roared its approval.

Over time the king's lover became his husband, his sons left for the modern world, and his daughters prepared for marriage. But still the whole kingdom was frozen with tension, awaiting attack, awaiting the unknown, waiting for the day that his true daughter would become queen, heir to the throne. There were too many non-believers, among his allies and enemies, and he feared exposing her to the world as his 'illegitimate' daughter. But one day, she got her secret wish, and no one could deny her any longer.

The princess could manipulate the royal magic, the magic that hid them, the magic that fed them, the magic that proved the gods loved them. Finally, at the not so tender age of nineteen, she became queen, in charge of the inner court, someday Pharaoh, and ruler, as if she wanted her father to die... She marveled at the audacity of some of her suitors, their secret promises to make her ruler, and promised never to marry (at least to herself). Instead, she protected her sisters with her father's righteous wrath and his husband's cruel revenge, with her own nurturing heart as the balance, as Maat, goddess of fair dealings, honor and truthfulness.

* * *

Yama was twenty-one now, and she was made aware of it every day. Not by her father, who was blessed by her very existence, or by Yuugi, who wouldn't have even existed if not for her, or even by Bakura, who made her aware of her every shortcoming. They trusted her to marry for _love_, like all of her sisters save five had already done. She looked up at the dais. The small group of elder women left living in the palace had brought a small table from somewhere and were playing cards around it with two others, wives of her brothers who remained in the palace. They were lying on cushions or sitting up lazily, completely unaware of the decorum required by the throne not five feet to the side, glittering gold against the pale marble of the wide throne room. There was a seat open for her, as always, but she sat against the stairs instead, halfway up, staring at her father's throne.

The air was warm and inviting. As always, the palace was quiet this late at night. They had one guest from another country staying with them, but she doubted he'd wander down here without the king present. The king, also as always, was video-chatting with his husband and Yuugi, her blood brother, who at thirteen had finally gotten his secret wish and was away training with the royal magic under her second father's care.

She wasn't jealous that he had gained the power so quickly, almost as soon as he was born. It was simply a matter of gender. She smiled, in fact, thinking of thirteen years ago, when a baby appeared, not that it was a good time to go into the complications of that. She stood up and sighed. This was the hardest part of the day. "Time to sleep," she announced in her father's voice. "If we don't we won't be ready for tomorrow night's feast."

"Please please please," Saijessa begged, her sea-foam green locks getting tangled in Yama's feet as one plopped back and the other climbed.

"No, and tie your hair up tomorrow," Yama said, trying to disentangle a sandal. "Or I'll make you stay home! Aren't you supposed to be older than me?"

"Only by two years," Kaoru snorted as she lay down her cards. "Gin, we're done."

The ladies groaned but stood, helping each other and yawning. Kaoru, the eldest, whose short dark hair and piercing black eyes came from Japan, the furthest away, was held as more of a leader than Yama ever could be amongst these naturally authoritative (lazy) women. Although Yama's extravagant looks, from her black and red mane to her tan yet creamy skin (as stupid Bakura would say, earning a slap on the head from the king), marked her as the king's child, Kaoru was the most exotic one here. Saijessa had green hair, another daughter blue, and most of them had some sort of oddity. Kaoru was just Kaoru, who saw and knew all, and would marry an emperor someday.

Once they had all stood and started down the marble steps, Yama felt a strange energy pass by her and raised her hand quickly. They all silenced each other, and waited. The moment passed. "Yama, what was it?" one of the wives asked.

"I don't know, I'm going to find Father. Go to your rooms quickly." Footsteps sounded and Saijessa leapt to the front. Her magic was a shield that would protect them from non-physical danger. Yama pushed her back just in time.

It was only Seihomaru, who had come from another hidden kingdom to meet with her father tomorrow. He pushed aside the linen curtains that acted as a door to the hall and came in, concern on his face. "Are you ladies alright?" he asked, making Yama's skin prickle again.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned, wishing she had a sword to point at him. She knew nothing of his magic. Neither did father, except that he had the ability to transform into demon animals.

"You're all standing so tensely up there on the stairs," he responded without hostility.

"There was a burst of dark magic. You did not feel it?" It was more of a statement than a question. She could hear whispering behind her and the stairs began to glow, baring his presence upon them. Only the royal family could break the spell, and none of the girls wanted to. He was a magic user who couldn't sense magic being used? That was ridiculous.

"Daughters!" The shout came from behind them, the secret entrance to the side. As a group they spun in relief to see the king coming down the steps. He clasped their hands, and turned to Yama, who was still glaring at Seihomaru. "Yama," he put his hand on her shoulder, "he is not the source to the dark magic." He whispered under his breath and the stairs lost the golden glow. He climbed down, and she noticed that he was wearing all of his royal clothing, even this late at night.

Had he taken the time to put on his crown, when they might have been in danger? She ignored the conversation at hand, fists clenched, and stalked out of the hall. If only there was a door to slam, but this part of the palace was too old. There were no doors until the floor turned into wood, and she reached the Royal Complex. She slammed the front door, slammed her room door, slammed the refrigerator door, and slammed the bathroom door for good measure. Then she sat at the table and stared at her small sanctuary, morosely sipping soda from a can. Liar liar pants on fire! She growled. Seihomaru had invaded her territory, and like her second father, she hated that. But as much as she wanted to kill that guy, she had to let her father play host. What was up with her? Why couldn't she shake this disturbing dread? There was a disgusting tangle of worms in her belly. She tried to disentangle it while taking off her shirt.

Her private room was set up much like a studio apartment. There was a table in front of the door, with the kitchenette on one side and the bathroom on the other. Her bed took up most of the open space on the carpeted section under the window, and she had to go around it to get to the closet. She had a bigger suite, but this was her working room, where she went when she was in charge of the complex. The window looked out onto the great courtyard at the center with its big shallow pool. Palm trees, which were the best things they could grow in this heat after all, shaded each entrance and window. There were gazebos scattered with pillows and gold, beautiful to sit under, beautiful to look at in the moonlight. But as she stared out in her bra and skirt, soaking in the cool breeze that meant the heat of the day was finally gone, Yama saw none of it.

All she could see was that silver-haired bastard's smirking face. And her father, making his way across the courtyard, glaring up at her. She sighed, sat at the table again, and waited for the fight to start.

Pharaoh Yami, great-great-great-great-great-greeeaaat grandson of Atemu, great ruler of Egypt, and Oasis, and all those things, was very predictable. "Five, four, three, twoo..." she counted to herself. And 'BANG!'

"Yama, no matter how you may feel about a guest..." They spoke at exactly the same time. She could feel him breathing down her neck and she turned around to face him. They were almost exactly the same height, both way too short for their personalities, and they glared at each other.

"Why the heck are you making an alliance with a shadow user?" she snapped. Red eyes met red eyes, electricity in the air. "And don't tell me you don't feel it! And don't tell me because Bakura is one means that it's okay because it's not and there was that weird magic!" Without her younger brother to separate them this was going to be an epic battle.

"This kingdom is on the verge of being discovered!" Yami growled. "Do you understand? We can no longer choose our allies so lightly! Seihomaru's kingdom is in the same place as ours!"

"Well maybe it's time that we joined the real world!" She retorted. "Father, we have electricity, we have plumbing, we need that world. We need cars and industry and the internet! This kingdom is on the verge of stagnation! You can't save us by sending us further into the darkness!" Her father grabbed her shoulders, shaking her fiercely.

"And what will happen when we join that world? What will happen to your sisters? What will happen to the citizens who use magic? They will be ridiculed, Yama!" She had to put a hand up to her face to protect herself from his rage. "You will be put under a microscope and studied. You will be totured and autopsied after they kill me to take this place! They will come with their guns and their bombs and their tanks and they will lay waste to the home of the gods! They will kill your family to get at your abilities! They will kill us all!"

"No...," she attempted feebly, closing her eyes. His magic was coming off of him in waves. "That man... Father... That man is evil. I can not stand him. He reeks of stagnation. He will not protect us. He will not protect _me_!" She forced herself away from her father, back against the table, and glared, shivering. "He is just as much danger as a gun! Why don't you believe me?" It came out so pitifully, even she felt sorry for herself. His anger was gone in a second, his arms wrapped around her as she cried.

"Daughter, Daughter, I'm sorry," he begged. She sat on the table and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Sometimes we must do things that we do not want to... I am not immortal. I only want to keep you safe as long as possible until I am gone."

"You don't look any older than I do, idiot!" Yama smacked her hand against his armband. "I was just so mad at you. We could have been in danger, and you put your crown on before you came to save us. It's so stupid."

"Daughter," Yami chuckled, pulling away and looking up at her with a sheepish smile. "My crown is a magical object."

She had forgotten. He snorted, she giggled, and they burst out laughing and crying together. "We're so horrible to each other without Brother around!" she insisted.

"Terrible," he added in his warm gravitating voice. "Good thing he's not around to see us!"

"Father..." She had to say finally, since she was only wearing a sports bra. Yama grinned stupidly. "You're in the female complex with your undressed daughter. What would Father Bakura say?"

"Say about what?" came a voice from the window, followed by a squeak. She ducked down under the table and peeked out. Bakura was dangling Yuugi under one arm and leaning in through the curtain.

"Stop doing that!" Yama growled. "I'm not wearing a shirt! And stop carrying Yuugi around like luggage, he doesn't like heights!"

"I'm okay," Yuugi panted as Bakura set him down. He fixed his shirt before picking his sister's up from the floor. "Here, sister."

"Thank you, Brother," she said as she pulled her shirt on. "What the heck are you guys doing here, you're supposed to be training in the desert or something."

"I had a weird dream," Yuugi said before Bakura could snap at her. "So we came back." Yama came out from under the table and picked him up in her arms. His visions were getting worse, putting the family on edge.

"That's okay, I'll train you now, but first let's get you to bed."

"I'm not tired!" He exclaimed, wiggling like a five-year old.

"If you wanted a weird bedtime, should have stayed in the desert buddy. Lights out here." She shifted his hips so she could hold him better. "You two, out of here before someone spreads rumors about you sleeping with your daughters."

"That's so gross," Yuugi snorted as their fathers gaped at her. But she'd been around Bakura too long.

"Bye-bye," she called in a singsong voice as she carried Yuugi out of her room. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Yuugi looked at his sister precociously. "If you wouldn't sleep with Father, does that mean Bakura shouldn't either?"

"I'll let it go for tonight, brother," Yama said into his spiky hair as he yawned. "Just for tonight." So even Brother was getting corrupted by Bakura's mouth.

Spend a month in the desert with him, anyone'd get an additude, she decided unhappily._ I'll keep you safe, Little Brother_, she decided. _Who needs that stupid shadow user?_


End file.
